Locked In
by Reflection noitcelfeR
Summary: Spring Break and everyone is ready for a fun, relaxing vacation... in the laundry room? What happens when 8 teenagers get stuck in a laundry room? Anger, irritation, and true feelings. Beta'd by Water Wolf 100
1. There's something wrong with the door

_A/N First thing I want to say is that _this was not written entirely by just me_. Water Wolf 100 helped me by helping me make decisions, being my beta, and giving great advice and ideas. So this story is dedicated to her. :) Thanks Wolfie!_

It was spring break.

Trudy packed her bags. She was getting ready to leave for vacation, and needed one more look at her favorite kitchen.

"I'm sure gonna miss this place," she said sadly.

"Don't be that way," Amber said as she walked in. "You go have a fun time! Victor will have everything under control... I think." Trudy laughed.

"Well, I sure hope so. I don't want to come back and find out that Victor didn't clean a thing!" she laughed. "Oh, sweetie, I almost forgot. The laundry room door was acting funny this morning, it locked me in! But Alfie came in right after it locked, so apparently it could open from the outside. Would you mind telling the others?" Amber nodded.

The two walked out into the hall, where everyone else was waiting.

"Bye Trudy! Have a great vacation!" Nina said.

"You as well! And it's only a short time anyway," Trudy said as she wrapped her arms around Nina. Then, she went up to each of the students in the house and gave them all a good-bye hug. Just as Trudy went over to hug Victor, she stopped herself. Everyone snickered quietly as Victor glared at the emotional woman.

"Sorry Victor. I guess I was just caught in the moment. Bye sweeties!" She picked up her bags and everyone waved and said good-bye. Except Victor, of course.

"Everyone settle down!" Victor boomed. "I want you all to go get your things ready and packed by one o'clock. Do you understand?" They nodded. "Good. I shall expect you all to be gone by at least two. And I won't be saying good-bye." Victor turned and stormed back up the stairs as everyone ran to their rooms.

...

It was 12:30 and Amber and Nina were almost ready.

"Hey, Amber, I have some clothes that I want in the laundry room, is there anything you need?" Nina asked. Amber thought for a second.

"Yeah! Get my purple strapless dress, my denim mini skirt, and my yellow shirt," Amber answered.

"Which yellow shirt?"

"The one with the ruffles, duh." Amber said, like everyone was supposed to know that. Nina nodded and went downstairs. She ran into Fabian, who was also going to the laundry room. They went in and were flirting the whole time. They would stop talking and just stare at each other. Fabian kept blushing and Nina kept looking away from him. And at one point they had a short "laundry fight" and threw various random clothes at each other.

Once Fabian got his laundry he tried to open the door, but it was locked.

"Uh, Nina," he said, "Why is the door locked?"

"That's odd..." Nina tried to open it. "It won't... budge!" she said frustrated.

"...Jerome? Alfie? Mick...?" Fabian said quietly.

"What?" Nina said.

"It was definitely one of the guys who locked us in here." Fabian said. Nina agreed."I guess we'll just wait for someone else to come get their laundry," Nina said

...

Jerome and Alfie were almost finished packing as well. Jerome got up to leave.

"I'm gonna go get my laundry." he said.

"Wait!" Alfie stopped him, "Don't. Earlier Trudy was locked in the laundry room. Turns out there's something wrong with the door," he snickered.

"So if we don't go in, and convince everyone else to go in..." Jerome's evil, plan scheming mind started to churn. He and Alfie high fived while they laughed.

...

Jerome waited in the hall. Mara Jaffray and Patricia Williamson came down the steps.

"Oh, hey guys," he said all sweet like.

"What do you want, creep?" Patricia asked.

"I was just wondering if you were ready to go?"

"Yes, we are actually," Mara said.

"Oh, well I saw some things in the laundry room I thought you guys would take," he said, "Why aren't you?"

"Oh, well I was gonna take that one shirt..." Mara said.

"Yeah, I did have some things I wanted too," Patricia said, "But I'm warning you Jerome, if you're pulling any kind of pranks, you're gonna get it."

"Me? Pull pranks?" Jerome asked sarcastically. Patricia pointed at her eyes and then at Jerome as if to say 'I'm watching you.' as she and Mara walked away.

Jerome smirked. "Suckers."

...

Nina and Fabian were sitting on the floor across from each other. They had gotten so bored that they started playing "I Spy"

"I spy... something dark brown," Nina said, in a bored tone.

"That shirt?" Fabian asked, also in a bored tone.

"No. Your hair." Nina smiled.

"What?" Fabian smiled back.

"Oh, I was just thinking about how much I like your hair..." she said shyly. Fabian was surprised. _Is she flirting with me?_ he thought.

He did a funny hair flip that almost made Nina laugh, but she just smiled instead.

"I spy..." Fabian looked around the room, "Something pretty and green-ish brown." he said more shyly then she had.

"Your eyes?" Nina asked, acting stupid on purpose so that she could hear him say it.

"No... yours." he said, blushing. They sat there making flirty smiley faces for about three minutes. Fabian finally broke the silence.

"Um... Nina? There's something I need to tell you..." he moved over to sit next to her. _That way I don't have to look her straight in that beautiful, distracting face,_ he thought. She sat there and waited.

Getting a little nervous, she thought, _Oh no, he knows I like him and is gonna tell me he doesn't like me back! No... he has to like me, why else would he say my eyes are pretty TWICE? _He had told her once before.

"Nina..." he started, "I-" the door opened and Mara and Patricia came in. Before Fabian and Nina could realize that they could now leave, the girls shut the door.

"No, no, no!" Fabian sprang up and tried to open the door. No luck.

"Jerome! Alfie! You guys better cut it out!" Fabian yelled through the door.

"What?" Patricia asked. Fabian explained that Jerome, Alfie, or maybe Mick was outside the door, keeping it locked.

"Great! Now what?" Patricia said angrily.

Jerome was outside the door snickering. Alfie showed up.

"Alfie, c'mere!" he whispered. The two stood by the door and listened to them complain.

"They think we locked it!" Jerome laughed-whispered. The two high fived again and walked away.

...

Amber was getting inpatient.

"Where is Nina?" she asked herself. She decided to go find out herself.

_A/N Will Amber let them go? Or will she get locked in as well? Review please, and thanks for reading!_

_~Peace and Wolfie_


	2. Um, where is everybody?

_A/N Thank you all for the lovely, kind, and awesome reviews! I just thought (if you guys were wondering) I would tell you where everyone was going for vacation._

Nina and Fabian were going to go to Fabian's house to spend time with his family. Nina was originally going to go back to see her Gran, but she wasn't feeling well and told Nina to go somewhere with one of her friends. Of course, she asked Fabian, who excitedly said yes. Though he was nervous to have his family meet her.

Mick was going to take Mara to his dad's beach house. Mara's family said yes because her parents were busy with sports anyway, and didn't want her to be alone and bored at any times.

Amber was just going to go to her dad's mansion. Well of course it was just going home for her, but everyone else envied her richness.

Alfie and Jerome were going to go to Alfie's older brother's house, where they could party with hot girls in their twenties.

Patricia was going to visit her family. She had a sister who she actually loved very much, and couldn't wait to see her.

_So they might, and might not get to go on their vacations! You'll just have to read and find out! Love you all! :)_

_..._

Amber raced by Victor's office. He was reading a book called "How to Scare Annoying Kids" and looked up.

"Miss Millington! You know the rules. No running! I will see you after spring break," he said annoyed, thinking she was leaving.

Ignoring Victor, Amber stomped down the steps. The only way Nina would not get in trouble for making her wait would be if she had finally gotten together with Fabian. She walked into the living room but Jerome was the only one there.

"Have you seen Nina?" she asked.

Jerome grinned. "Yes, she went to the laundry room."

"UGH." Amber didn't know what Nina was doing in there but she was about to find out. She ran in the laundry room and slammed the door shut angrily.

"Nina! I-" she stopped. "What are you all doing in here?"

Everyone had run over to her as soon as she came in. They all groaned in annoyance. Amber suddenly remembered what Trudy had told her.

"Oh no!" she pulled on the door handle. Locked in.

"No, no, no! This can_n__ot _be happening! My cab is going to come soon!" Amber whined.

"Wait, how'd you know it was locked?" Fabian asked.

"Well... Trudy kind of told me earlier that the door was messed up..." she said, feeling embarrassed and guilty. Fabian and Nina shook their heads. Mara groaned. Patricia glared at Amber, clearly showing signs of stress.

"Mick will be looking for me. We'll get out of here soon," Mara said. Her face lightened up in an attempt to think positive.

...

Mick walked in the common room. Jerome sat on a chair, pretending to read a book.

"Um, where is everybody?" Mick asked.

"Oh, Nina and Fabian left for their lovey vacation with Fabian's family," Jerome cringed. "Patricia also went home."

"So where's Mara? We have to leave soon," Mick looked angry.

"She went to the laundry room to get some her clothes for the trip." Jerome said, smiling a little bit too kindly.

"Okay...? Thanks." Mick went to the laundry room, Alfie hid outside the laundry room incase Mick didn't shut the door right away. Jerome had instructed him to slam it shut right away if Mick hadn't already.

Mick whistled as he came to the door.

...

In the laundry room, everyone was lying on the floor, using clothes as pillows, and staring at the ceiling.

"Why don't we just call for help?" Patricia asked annoyed.

"Because someone will come soon anyway," Fabian said, "And it hasn't been very long."

"We're going to die..." Amber said in a very sad tone. Everyone rolled their eyes. She'd barely been in there.

"I never realized how cold it is in here!" Nina said rubbing her arms. Fabian sat up and gave her one of his coats. The rest of them sat up too. Nina and Fabian smiled at each other. Patricia, Amber and Mara gave each other knowing glances. They were all thinking the same thing— _If__ he didn't like her, he would've handed her one of her own coats. _Everyone was so distracted with Nina and Fabian that none of them noticed the door opening.

Mick walked in and shut the door right as everyone stood up and shouted "NO!" They all sighed.

"Am I missing something?" Mick asked confused. "And why are you all in here? Jerome said you guys left."

Fabian muttered something angrily under his breath that no one understood. Patricia explained what happened, annoyed at Mick for shutting the door.

"Oh man! Our cab is here Mara. Now the cab guy is going to leave!" Mick groaned. Everyone sighed once again.

"Well now none of us are gonna get to leave for spring break!" Nina shouted, getting really upset. Fabian put a hand on her shoulder.

"It's going to be okay. My parents will understand if we're late." he said in a comforting tone. Nina smiled.

"What time is it?" Nina asked. Fabian looked at his watch.

"One forty-one." he sighed. They all knew they had to leave at 2:00.

...

It was 10:00. The gang knew very well that they would be stuck there for a while. If they called for help, Victor would be furious. They decided to give up on waiting and try to sleep, considering that it was their normal bedtime. Fabian almost slept next to Nina, but Nina suggested they have the two boys on one side and the four girls on the other. _Not like I was going to do anything!_ Fabian thought, hoping Nina didn't think he _was_.

Jerome and Alfie stocked up on snacks in there room so that Victor wouldn't catch them when it was meal times. It was risky for them to be there, but they planned to go out to town if they thought he might search the house for students.

...

In their room, Alfie and Jerome stayed up watching movies. At 11:30, Jerome got an idea.

"Oooh, I know that look!" Alfie said excitedly. "You've got a plan."

"Indeed I do Alfie, indeed I do," Jerome smiled. "Go in the kitchen, get one of those muffins that Trudy left for Victor. Then, making sure they're all asleep, sneak into the laundry room and set it in the middle of the all the suckers that we're forced to live with. Then hopefully tomorrow we can hear a muffin fight!"

Alfie smiled and nodded his head. "You're a genius! This'll be hysterical!" he quietly went into the kitchen and did as he was told. Jerome secretly followed him.

Alfie, as quietly as possible, opened the laundry room door. They had turned off the light and were sleeping on clothes. He held in a laugh and placed the muffin in the middle of the room. He was about to leave when he heard Nina's voice. He froze.

"F-Fabian... Fab..." she mumbled. He looked at her and realized she was sleep-talking. It was so hard for him not to laugh.

Fabian then sat up. Startled, Alfie almost shut the door all the way so that no one could see anything.

"Nina?" Fabian said. He snorted. "...Ni...na..." Alfie realized again, he was only sleep-talking, and apparently sleep sitting. Alfie reached for the door knob but the door slammed the rest of the way shut.

_..._

_A/N What could have made the door close? Jerome? Victor? Air?_

_Thanks for reading! Please review! I love you all!_

_~Peace_


	3. Time for the real fun to start

_A/N HEEEEYYYY PARTY PEOPLE (and aliens)! Thanks for the AWESOME reviews! You guys really seemed like you wanted me to update! I'm trying, I'm trying. But me and Water Wolf have been SUPER busy with school. So I took a while to write it, and she took a while to correct and beta it. So I just want to dedicate this chapter to __Water Wolf 100__! Haha, just kidding kinda, the whole story is dedicated to her! But still, you rock Wolfie! :D Actually it's dedicated to all the wonderful and helpful people on the HoA forums! :) Enjoy the chapter you are hopefully about to read. ;D YOU GUYS RUUULLLLLLE! (Yes, I am hyper right now!)_

...

Alfie turned the door knob back and forth, freaking out at the fact that someone might wake up and get mad at him.

"No, no, no! Jerome? Jerome, are you out there? Jerome!" He was afraid that Jerome wouldn't hear him since he was whisper-shouting. _I don't want to be stuck in here!_ Alfie thought.

"...Who's there?" a female voice asked. Alfie froze. He grabbed the muffin, sat down in the corner of the room and tried to be as quiet as possible. He heard light footsteps. Alfie hid the muffin in a nearby skirt. Or shirt. He couldn't see it. Then the light went on. There, with a hand on the light switch, was Mara.

"Alfie? Alfie how did you get in here? We've been stuck in here for hours! Can we get out now?" she asked him, jiggling the doorknob. She sighed. "Well? Answers would be nice. Did you and Jerome do this?" Everyone had started to wake up the minute Mara turned the light on and began talking to Alfie.

Alfie was about to tell the truth when he thought, _what if Jerome hadn't shut the door? What if the air did, or someone who was sleeping kicked it shut?_

"Ok... the truth is... my brother called and said that we couldn't come, so we had nowhere to go. Jerome and I didn't want to tell Victor, so we've been hiding quietly in our room. But then I came in here and saw you all on the floor. But it was too late, I shut the door and now I'm stuck here too." Alfie breathed in.

"Oh, so Jerome is still here and can get us out?" Mara asked hopefully.

"Um... yeah. But he's probably asleep now."

"But, why did you come in here at... 11:38?" Fabian asked in a tired voice, looking at his watch.

"Um, well we were both awake, and I wanted my... night shirt." Alfie picked up his nearest night shirt to show everyone. "And when I was leaving, Jerome said he was going to bed."

"This is hopeless!" Nina complained.

"No, it's ok. Jerome will get us out sometime tomorrow," Fabian said with a reassuring tone.

"Alfie, why do I find this hard to believe?" Patricia asked suspiciously.

"Why would I lock myself in here?" he asked. "It's the truth!"

"Fine." Patricia said.

"Let's just go back to sleep guys." Amber whined. "Wait... Alfie, didn't Trudy say you knew about the door?" Everyone turned to Alfie with suspicion in their eyes.

"Um, I forgot." More sighs were heard from everyone.

"Now can we go back to sleep?" Amber whined again.

"Yeah, I'm tired. Alfie, make yourself a bed and go to sleep." Mick said. Alfie set up a "bed" in just about the last bit of walking space on the whole floor. The room was so crowded. All through the night, the students were kicking and pushing each other to have enough space.

...

Jerome had been listening to the whole thing. He had shut the door. _Alfie lied for me. He's not that bad at it actually,_ he thought. Jerome wondered why no one noticed the muffin. _Alfie must have hidden it for himself! Brilliant. They'll be sure to attack him when they see that he has food._ Jerome smirked. When Fabian told Nina that Jerome would let them out, he laughed inside. _Yeah right_, he thought, leaving to go to sleep when they did.

...

Jerome's alarm clock was set to be really quiet, but loud enough for him to hear it. It was 8:30. He had decided to get up a half hour earlier than he would've in case something interesting happened.

Jerome walked silently back over to the laundry room. Then a new idea came to him. He took a cookie, a muffin, a banana, a glass of water, a bag of chips, and an apple from the kitchen. Setting them down by the laundry room door, he put his ear against it and listened.

"Why are we awake now?" Amber's voice came.

"Because it's better to be awake early than sleep on this cold floor, kicking and pushing me around," Mick complained.

"You weren't the only one being pushed around Campbell," Patricia said. "Amber needs more space than an elephant." The sound of Amber's gasp and Alfie's laughter came through the door.

"I! Do! _Not_! Patricia!" Amber said. "You're the one who was taking my blanket off of me while I was asleep!"

"It's not a blanket Amber, it's a coat." Patricia said.

"Guys! Calm down! We don't want Victor to hear us." Fabian said.

_Stupid Fabian,_ Jerome thought, _always ruining the fun._

"Are you guys sure about that? Maybe we should get Victor to help. We can't just stay in here forever." Nina said.

_Time for the real fun to start. _Jerome lightly knocked on the door. Everyone who had been talking was instantly silent.

"J-Jerome?" Alfie said quietly.

Jerome, trying his best Victor impersonation said, "Mr. Lewis! What are you doing here!"

"Oh shut up Jerome!" Patricia shouted. _Obviously needs some work,_ Jerome thought.

"Patricia? Alfie? What are you doing in there?" Jerome faked.

"Jerome, open the door!" Mick shouted.

"Mick? Who else is in there?"

"C'mon Jerome, you know we're all stuck in here, and we're starving! Now let us out!" Alfie said.

"I'll give you food. But you have to do something for _me_," he smirked. He heard groans from almost everyone.

"So, who's first? Who wants food the most?"

After a minute of whisper-arguing, the gang decided on someone.

"I'm first." Patricia finally said. Jerome didn't know, but they had picked Patricia because they thought she was best for tricking Jerome so that they could all get out.

"Alright Patricia. What are you willing to give me, for food?" Jerome asked. _I am loving this,_ he thought.

"What do you want?" she asked in an annoyed tone.

"Aha, how about you tell me that I am the best prankster in the world, I'm brilliant, and you secretly have a crush on me." He smirked.

"Ew no that's disgusting!" Patricia cried. Jerome could only imagine the look of horror on her face. If only he could actually see it for himself. "...Fine..." she said. On the other side of the door Patricia pretended to gag and gave Mara an_ at least it's not true_ look.

"Jerome, you are the best prankster in the world, you're brilliant, and I secretly have a crush on you." she said through gritted teeth. "Now open the door and give me something to eat."

Jerome smirked. "Do you honestly think I'm that stupid, Trixie?" he shoved the cookie under the door.

"A cookie?" Patricia asked angrily, picking it up. "That's all? You made me say all that and this is the thanks I get?"

"You said it too angrily for my liking. You have to be serious." Jerome smirked again at his brilliance. "Who's next?"

Mick went next, having to tell Mara that he hated her with all his heart to get food.

"I can't believe you made me say that dude!" Mick shouted angrily, banging the door.

"Ooooh touchy much? Here you go Campbell." He opened the door so quickly no one had a chance to stop it. He had set the glass of water on the floor before slamming the door shut.

"_Water_? You gave me a stinkin' glass of water?" Mick was more than ready to kill Jerome.

Next went Nina. She was told to say that "Jerome is the hottest guy I've ever met and I want to date him soooo bad." They thought she could catch the door when he slipped an apple in, but she wasn't fast enough. Fabian's face was red with anger after this.

Next Amber, who had to say she was an airhead and only had friends because she was rich. This time, Fabian stood by the door, foot ready to shove in the opening when he gave Amber her food. But Jerome didn't open the door that time. He squished the banana under the door instead.

Nina heard Fabian's stomach growl. "Do you want a bite?" she held her apple up to him.

"N-No... it's yours." Fabian declined.

"I know you're hungry, and you don't have to talk to that jerk."

"Jerome, why are you doing this? I don't understand. What did we do to you?" Mara said, interrupting everyone else's conversations.

"Because it's fun. Silly, silly Mara."

"But, don't you like us at all? Alfie is your best friend and you're treating him like dirt!" Mara said. "Right Alfie?" everyone turned to see Alfie hiding under a coat.

"Alfie," Amber said, "What are you doing?"

Patricia marched over to him and whipped the coat off of him. He hid something behind his back.

"Oh, um hi guys..."

"Are you eating something?" Mick shouted. Jerome laughed._ Here it comes..._

"N-N-NO!" Alfie said, moving something under a dress.

"Oh yeah? Then why do you have crumbs all over your mouth?" Patricia said, pointing to his face.

"Alright! I admit it! I have a muffin." Amber gasped. "But... I'll share it?" Alfie held up the muffin which had about two small bites left. Mick grabbed it instantly.

"Why do you get it?" Patricia asked.

"Because I didn't get food, you did!" Mick shouted back. The two began fighting and Mara tried to calm them down. Nina got an idea and whispered to Fabian. He nodded and the two walked over to Alfie. A small laugh from Jerome was heard. He was laughing at Patricia and Mick.

"Alfie quick," Nina said, "While they're being loud and Jerome can't hear us."

"What's up?" Alfie looked curiously happy.

"We need you to pretend that you're hurt. You can... 'slip' on some clothes. If Jerome thinks you are really hurt, he'll come in to help and we'll be free!" Fabian said excitedly.

"Yes! Wait, why me?" Alfie said.

"Because you're his best friend. He doesn't care about the rest of us," Fabian said.

"That's what you think," Alfie muttered. Fabian gave him a confused look, but before he could ask what Alfie meant they were interrupted.

"Fabian, Mick ate the rest of the muffin!" Patricia said.

"Guys you're getting way too crazy about this. Just calm down. Alright?" Fabian said. Nina winked and they gave her questioning look. Alfie stood up.

"Hey, Amber, I was wondering if- WOAH!" he walked towards Amber and "slipped" on a pair of Patricia's purple stockings.

"Alfie!" Amber cried. Alfie winked at all of them and they nodded and played along.

"Alfie are you ok?" Nina said.

"What's going on?" Jerome asked, a little nervous inside.

"Alfie slipped and is knocked out cold!" Fabian said.

"Oh, yeah right guys!" Jerome crossed his arms. "I'm not falling for it."

"Jerome this is serious!" Mara cried. "Alfie's hurt." Alfie looked at Mara and mouthed _tell him that you'll never speak to him again_. At first she didn't understand, but the second time she nodded slowly, a little confused.

"I'll never forgive you if you don't come in here and help him!" Mara said. Nina gave Mara a thumbs- up for her great acting.

"...so?" Jerome said, secretly worried that she meant it.

"Come on Jerome, none of us will forgive you if Alfie really needs help and you don't let us out." Fabian chimed in.

Jerome thought. _Alfie IS my best friend. But they could definitely be lying... But Mara... she wouldn't forgive me. And neither would Alfie. I... I guess I should help..._

"Fine." He opened the door to find Alfie sitting there smiling and instantly shut the door.

"WHAT!" Everyone shouted.

"W-WHY would you do that?" Nina asked angrily.

"Because I had a feeling this was a scam so I didn't let you win."

"You idiot!" Patricia shouted.

"Now you're stuck here too you know?" Mick said.

"Yes, I know. But I have a secret way out. And I'm not telling you what that is." Jerome crossed his arms and smirked.

"You better tell us, or I'll... I'll... smack you!" Amber said. She walked up to him and slapped him across the face.

"OW! You didn't even give me a chance!" Jerome said.

"I know. That was just to show you what it would feel like if you didn't tell us." Amber said.

...

_A/N Ok I KNOW I took forever to update but this one is longer than the others! And hey, Jerome is finally trapped and there was a little bit of Jara thoughts ;D R & R! Love ya *air kisses*_

_~Peace__._


	4. A nincompoop like Mick

_A/N Ok, this is like the longest that I haven't updated a story that I was planning on continuing! I feel ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE! You guys must hate me! I just want to thank __Kate ()__ for reviewing and reminding me that this story is here, and it needs to be continued, and I only have 3 chapters (well 4 now) and thanks to you amazing reviewers, I have around 45 reviews! :'D I love you guys and I promise I will update the fifth chapter REALLY soon!_

...

It was 9:55 and the gang was still stuck in there, trying to get Jerome to say his secret way out.

"Come ON Jerome, haven't you tortured us long enough?" Mara asked. For a brief second it looked like Jerome was going to tell them, but a second later it was gone and replaced by his usual smirk.

"Look, you guys have never liked me, so why should I pretend I like ANY of you? Hm?" Jerome's faced turned to anger, "I hate you guys! You know why? Because none of you understand brilliant people, like me!" Jerome was really serious. Alfie's face looked more sad than it had ever been.

Slowly everyone took turns shutting up, each one turning around and noticing Alfie's devestated face.

"... I really thought we were friends Jerome. I thought you liked me. But I'm just a toy for you to play with. To _use_. You never liked me." A few people had _Awww_'d in sympathy, and then everyone turned to Jerome with furious faces. Though, when they saw Jerome's face theirs softened. He looked like he was ready to cry. His smirk was gone and he was staring at Alfie, who had sat in a corner and had his face in his knees.

"... Everyone... Everyone look away! This needs to be as private as it can be." Surprisingly, no one argued, not even Patricia. The group squished into another corner on the other side of the room and faced anywhere but Jerome and Alfie.

Jerome sat down next to Alfie and put a hand on his shoulder. "Alfie... Alfie look at me." Alfie didn't move, so Jerome just gave up and started talking.

"Ever since the day I met you, I've thought you were annoying. In fact, the first day we met, I hated you. I was still mad and confused as to why my mom had left me here, and I didn't want a roommate because the first few years I was here I didn't have one. But as much as you tried to hang out with me, I pushed you away... You never gave up though. So finally I started letting you help me with my pranks. We taught each other pranks we knew and pulled them on all the suckers that live with us. And we still do. The more we hung out, the more I actually liked you as a friend. I was getting used to you...

But I know, sometimes I get carried away. I let myself go too far and I hurt you and other people really bad. I treat you like you're my slave... The truth is I actually do feel guilty when I push you too much, but I never admit it. I never apologize. I... I don't know why... I'm just... that's the way I am. And... you're the only true friend I've ever had. I don't want you to hate me. I'm... I'm sorry Alfie."

Everyone was too utterly shocked to say anything. Amber and Nina had teared up, and Mara was practically bawling. She knew more about Jerome, about his parents and what he'd been through.

Alfie had smiled when he heard the part about when they first met. He never turned to look at Jerome, knowing that it would only make it harder for him to be so... sensitive and admitting. _Jerome_ had just poured his heart out. Alfie sat up and hugged his friend. At first Jerome tried to be his normal self and didn't hug back, as if it was too un-cool for him. Finally he gave in and hugged back though.

"...Can we turn around now?" Amber asked.

"No," Alfie said, letting go of his best friend. "Thank you Jerome. I know I annoy you sometimes and you can be a real jerk, but you really are my best friend too." He smiled at his friend. Jerome's face had turned red from the utter embarrassment.

_I can't believe this. My whole reputation is ruined! It's too late now. Or maybe... I'll think of a way to make these other chumps pretend this never happened._

"You guys can turn around... I guess." Jerome muttered. Instantly Amber, Mara, and Nina rushed over to hug Jerome and Alfie. Jerome was caught off guard. He reluctantly hugged back a few times. Fabian, Patricia and Mick shrugged at each other and joined in all the hugging. Even Mick, who usually disliked Jerome, gave him a quick man hug.

Not to anyone's surprise, Jerome went right back to normal.

"Okay, listen up." He stood up and so did Alfie. "I'm willing to tell you how to get out, _if_ you promise not to tell anyone what I just did. In fact, just act like it never happened at all. Don't mention it to each other, and especially not to me. Deal?"

Alfie understood his friend not wanting his reputation taken away and nodded. Amber nodded. Patricia nodded but with an unsure look on her face. Fabian, Nina and Mara looked at each other. If Jerome wasn't really a jerk, why did he act like one? Mick just said "Whatever, sure."

"But, Jerome. You're sweet, kind, and people will like you more," Mara dared to say. Jerome stood face to face with Mara.

"I am _this_ way Mara. I'm only like that when I _want_ to be. Which is hardly ever." His face had gotten even closer to hers. There was silence as he searched her eyes for a "fine, I won't talk about it." but he only found something else. Jerome felt happy standing so close to her. Deep down he knew he liked her, but he hated admitting to liking anyone. Besides, he had just tortured himself by saying ALL that to Alfie. In Mara's eyes, Jerome found... love? _Not possible_, He thought, _She likes Mick. I'm obviously just seeing things._ Mara must have realized how close they were because she turned away quickly.

"Look, _I_ for one like the nice Jerome, much better than the jerk Jerome." she said not looking at him. He rolled his eyes.

"If you don't tell anyone, I'll be... How about... Well, it will be extremely hard, but I can try to be a little nicer to all of you." Jerome looked at Mick who seemed to be deep in thought. Nina and Fabian finally nodded and said they'd let him be himself again.

"But I'm not going to tell you guys how to get out until Mara has completely agreed." Patricia rolled her eyes. No one was getting mad. It was almost like hearing the nice Jerome made them feel awkward and they wanted regular Jerome back.

Mara sighed. "Just let me think about it."

...

For a while, everyone talked to their usual friends. Mick to Mara. Amber, Fabian, Patricia, and Nina. Jerome to Alfie. No one brought up the subject because they said they wouldn't, but Mara still was thinking about what to do.

"Mara. While... while no one is paying attention." Mick pulled her over towards the dryer so no one could hear them as well.

"I saw how you two were looking at each other," he said.

"What? What are you talking about?" Mara asked, not understanding.

"You and Jerome. It's obvious you have feelings for each other." Mara couldn't believe her ears. And how was Mick saying this without getting mad?

"Look, Mick..." she took a deep breath. "The truth is, when you were gone for your sports scholarship, I was with Jerome a lot for our campaign. In fact, I think he tried to ask me out at one point... But anyway, I think I did sort of start to like him. Because, as you can see, he can be REALLY nice. I'm so sorry I'm dumping this out on you... You sort of... asked for it..." Mara couldn't believe she just told Mick all that. A grin came onto his face.

"Can I tell you something too?" he asked, but didn't wait for an answer, "When I was gone, I found myself thinking of you a lot. But even more than you I thought of... well, Ams. I know we broke up, but... I think I still have some feelings for her..." There was a long pause. "Now what...?" he asked. The two were smiling.

"I don't know..." Mara said. They were both still smiling slightly. "Are we... breaking up?"

"I... I guess so..." Mick said. The two hugged. "I guess our feelings for each other just faded. Friends?"

"Of course." Mara kissed his cheek and went to tell Amber, Nina, Patricia, and Fabian. Mick went to tell Alfie and Jerome.

...

"Um... Mara and I just broke up." Mick patted Jerome on the back. Jerome's eyes lit up but his expression stayed serious.

"What? Why?" Alfie asked.

"We're just better as friends. Our feelings have changed." He patted Jerome's back again.

"Why do you keep doing that?" Jerome asked annoyed, moving away a little.

"Hopefully, you'll find out. Good luck with Mara." Mick walked away. Alfie smiled widely.

"OOOoooh! Dude! Now's your shot!" Jerome's mouth opened slightly in shock. Was it that easy to tell that he liked Mara that a nincompoop like Mick could tell? _This is just great. Just great,_ Jerome thought, _now what do I do?_

...

"Guys, Mick and I just broke up." Mara said.

"What? Why?" Patricia asked.

"Awww what happened? You two were almost as cute as me and Mick were! Almost," Amber said.

"It's fine Amber, we're better as friends. Our feelings have changed."

"Does that mean you've both moved on to someone else?" Amber asked, curious.

"I think so," Mara smiled at Amber, "Good luck."

Fabian and Nina looked at each other, both thinking, _Does Mick want Amber back?_ and _Who does Mara like?_

_..._

_A/N So yeah I FINALLY wrote more and I hope you liked it! It was a little less funny than the rest, but hey, LOTS of Jara, and a little Mamber! R & R! LOVE YOU ALL! Chapter 5 is coming soon!_

_~Peace_


	5. TRIXIE! CALM DOWN!

_A/N OK, so I know it's been like 7 or 8 months... and I am like SUPER, SUPER SORRY! And I hope everyone is still as big a fan of HoA as they were when the show was still on! I know I am! And I am super excited for season 2! Aren't you? Anyway, I hope you like this, considering I've had no inspiration from the show..._

_P.S. I noticed that I said that Mick and Mara were planning on going on vacation together, but then VERY stupidly wrote that when Mick was looking for everyone, he wanted to say good-bye to Mara! *facepalm* So sorry for the stupid mistake! So should I fix it and replace the chapter, or just leave it and pretend that didn't happen? :/_

...

Impatiently tapping her foot, Patricia groaned at Mara.

"MARAAA," she said, "Can't you just SAY that you'll forget about it, for now? For _us_?"

Mara hadn't said much since she and Mick broke up. Too much was going on. She hadn't even heard Patricia talking to her.

"Mara? Mara!" Patricia snapped, finally getting Mara's attention.

"I'm sorry Patricia," Mara said, "I just need a little time to think..." Mara looked to the side in thought.

Mick had been having an interesting chat with Nina, someone he usually never talked to, especially alone. They were talking because Nina and Fabian wanted to find out if Mick liked Amber again. Normally they wouldn't have cared so much as to ask, but what else could they do? They were stuck in a refrigerator-sized room for hours with nothing to do. Or so it felt.

Without straight up asking Mick, Nina cleverly brought up Amber as much as possible. Saying things like "Amber was telling me yesterday how lonely she's felt lately, what should I do?", but never really getting any hints from him.  
Meanwhile, Fabian had been doing the same with Amber, who also seemed as though she didn't like Mick anymore. She had totally and completely accepted Mick and Mara's dating before, so now that they broke up Amber didn't seem to be going after Mick.  
After a little while, Fabian and Nina started talking again, quietly, so Amber and Mick decided to catch up with each other.

"Well that didn't work..." Nina said to Fabian quietly, "I got nothing!"

"Me either, she just kept changing the subject to fashion or makeup." Fabian said. Nina laughed.

"That's Amber for you," she said, "Maybe they'll show some more interest towards each other again after this talk they're having. If not, I can talk to Amber and you can talk to Mick." Fabian nodded.

"Boy, it is hard being a matchmaker, no wonder Amber always complains," Nina laughed, "But... who exactly is she matching?"

"Well, she sort of helped Mara get together with Mick," Fabian said.

"Yeah... but she still said something about matchmaking just the other day... I wonder who she's trying to get together this time..." A worried look came to Fabian's face.

"Well, she could still think you and I... are... an item..." Fabian said awkwardly. At the same time, they stood up quickly and interrupted Amber as she talked to Mick.

"Yeah guys?"

"Amber... you don't still think that Fabian and I are..." Nina started.

"Of course not!" Amber said, and gave a hugely obvious wink to Fabian. Nina gave him an odd look and when she looked at Amber again, Fabian mouthed to Amber to cut it out.

"What?... OH! Right, yeah you guys are totally not secretly in love with each other or anything!" Mick had been listening the whole time and laughed at the oblivious pair.

"Well that was weird..." Nina said to Fabian as they sat back down where they were.

"Yep... totally weird..." Fabian said awkwardly and nervously.

"Is there something you need to tell me?" Nina asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"What? No, no, no I think I'm just getting a little... hot! Yeah, hot, stuck in here and all... with all this body heat..." Fabian lied. Nina nodded slowly, not sure if she should believe him or not.

Jerome had been rather quiet. Not wanting to talk to anyone because he said he would be nicer, and he hated being nice. Alfie was doing all the talking, but it was mostly teasing. He had been non-stop teasing Jerome about Mara. Though, Jerome didn't try to stop him. _Let him tease me for once..._ Jerome thought, _OH look at me, I've become this... this big old moosh!_  
Alfie started trying to convince Jerome to say something to Mara.

"Come on, it's the perfect chance! Plus, you'd be good together. Balance each other out ya know. She'd teach you how to be nicer, and you'd teach her how to have_fun_. Plus, it's not like she can run away." Alfie joked. A small smile came to Jerome's face, without him realizing. Alfie smiled back and Jerome quickly realized what he was doing and put his serious face back on.

"Alfie, I am not going to do it. Not here. Not now..." Jerome replied.

Alfie sighed and looked over at Patricia. She had a frightened look on her face.

She needed to get out of there. She had stopped talking to everyone for just a few minutes and it was as if she had only JUST noticed how crammed they were. Her memories from being trapped in the warehouse with Rufus had been flooding back to her and she was starting to hyperventilate.

"Patricia! What's wrong?" Nina asked worriedly.

"I can't breathe!" Patricia said, "I can't be in a small crammed place for so long! It's been too long!"

Jerome put a hand on Patricia's back. "Trixie you're joking... Right?" From the look on Patricia's face Jerome knew she wasn't joking.

Fabian yelled, "Jerome this is going too far! Please just let us out!"

Jerome looked at Mara. He sighed loudly and yelled to get everyone's attention. Everyone quieted; even Patricia's heavy breaths were getting quieter.

"The truth is..." Jerome started, "I don't actually have a way out..."  
Everyone's faces turned to anger, except one. Mara almost looked... Happy?

"Dude, you _need_ to stop lying," Alfie said.

"I can't believe this! All our vacations are ruined now!" Nina yelled.

"Jerome, when will you grow up?" Fabian said.

"I am _starving_! Why would you come in here if you didn't know a way out!" Mick complained.

"PLEASE! EVERYONE! Stop!" Mara shouted to get everyone's attention. Everyone silenced. "Jerome... he told us the truth. Sure it's extremely annoying that he made it up in the first place, but... he's trying?"

A few of them shrugged, understanding what she meant.

"I HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE!" Patricia yelled out.

"TRIXIE! CALM DOWN!" Jerome shouted over her, "You guys didn't even let me finish... I have a way we can TRY to get out..." a grin came to his face.

"How?" Nina asked suspiciously.

"See that vent, right there?" Jerome pointed to the vent on the wall across from the dryer, "It's pretty big right? I think if someone can crawl through there, they can make their way out into the common room vent."

"Oh, right! The vent leads right into the common room!" Fabian said.

"Okay... Sounds like it could work, but who's gonna go through?" Nina asked.

Jerome silently looked down at Mara. Slowly everyone else looked at her.

"What?" she said. Suddenly realizing why they were looking at her, Mara sighed.

"Why do I have to go up?" she asked nervously.

"Because, you're the smallest!" Jerome said.

"Oh fine! But if it's really gross in there, you'll be the one to clean me up!" Alfie and Jerome snickered. That sounded kind of weird.

"How am I supposed to get up there?" Mara asked.

"Let me give you a boost." Jerome said. Mick and Alfie grinned at each other. Jerome put out his hands and Mara nervously stepped onto them.

"OW! That's my _head_!" Jerome complained as Mara practically climbed him and stood on his shoulders.

"Sorry! Don't bend over so much, I need to get higher, or else I won't be able to climb in, it's not like I have anything to grab onto in there to pull myself up," Mara said. She suddenly screamed because she was wobbling and thought she'd fall off. Jerome quickly grabbed her ankles and she stopped wobbling. Mara's slightly embarrassed face looked away from everyone.

"PLEASE... HURRY." Jerome said in serious pain.

Mara opened the vent door and tried to climb inside. As she lifted her feet off Jerome's shoulders Fabian and Mick used their hands to give her feet more support so she could push off and get inside.

"Okay, I'm in," Mara's voice echoed and her feet stuck out the vent.

"Good, now crawl down the vent until you're able to turn left, then keep going until you see light," Fabian instructed.

"I can't see anything!" Mara said. Fabian took off his watch and tossed it in the vent after Mara.

"Hit the button and it will light up for about 10 seconds each time."

"Uh, okay..." Mara's shuffling along the vent was all they could hear for a while.

"I see something!" she suddenly echoed through. The gang heard a high pitched squeak coming from the other vent door.

"Yes! I made it! I think I can climb off onto the desk!" Mara said. The group smiled and waited a few more seconds. Suddenly a scream was heard from Mara.

"Mara? Are you alright?" Jerome stepped forward and yelled towards the vent.

"Oh, ugh, ow... I think so. I sort of missed the desk and fell..." Mara said in pain._ My ankles twisted!_ she thought. "... I'll be right there!"

She limped over to the laundry room and swung the door open.

The seven students cheer roared as they all ran out of the room. Mara smiled and everyone took a turn giving her a hug, even Jerome.

"Ew! Mara, you're all covered in cobwebs!" Amber shrieked after hugging her.

"Ewww... I'll go get cleaned up," Mara limped into the kitchen and got a cloth.

Fabian and Nina looked at each other with worry.

"Mara? Why are you limping?" Nina asked as she walked into the kitchen with Fabian and Patricia close behind.

"I'm fine, really..."

"What's wrong?" Patricia asked as Mara cleaned her arms off.

"I think I twisted my ankle when I fell..." Mara said nervously.

"Well, don't just ignore it!" Nina said.

"What am I supposed to do? Trudy's gone and Victor won't help," Mara said.

"Let's get you a crutch and when you get picked up, we'll send you to the doctor," Fabian said.

Jerome had been outside the kitchen and heard what they said. Before Fabian even suggested the crutch, he went to get one.

"Need something?" Jerome walked in and gave Mara the crutch after adjusting it to her height.

"Thanks." Mara smiled up at the tall blonde.

...

Victor had been napping and woke up because he heard cheering and voices. He angrily stood up from his chair.

"I thought I heard someone here!" he said to himself.

Mick and Alfie were in the kitchen eating practically everything they saw. Everyone else was about to go call their family members to explain what had happened. Before any of them could actually go get their phones, Victor's angry voice shouted over all of them.

"What is going on here!" he shouted angrily.

Everyone froze.

"Why are you all still here?" Victor asked, pointing a finger across all the students faces.

"We... We got trapped in the laundry room..." Alfie said.

"Why didn't you leave for your vacations yesterday?" Victor asked.

"We all had a reason... Well almost all of us had a reason... T-To go in the laundry, not knowing the door was messed up... Sorry?" Fabian explained.

"Get out of here, now! Go on your vacations!" Victor said.

The group rushed to call their families. Mara talked to Mick about what they should do.

"I don't know if I should go to your family's house now..." Mara said.

"Yeah... probably not the best idea. But then where will you go?" Mick said.

"I can call my parents and see if I can come home I guess."

"Okay. Good luck. And if you can't go home, you could still come to my house. We just have to be much more of friends, then a couple. Oh, and get better." Mick pointed to her ankle and went to call his family.

Jerome waited on the couch as Alfie called his brother. Mara went over to him and told him that she was going to call her parents.

"Looks like it's gonna be another boring break at home with nothing to do but be alone and watch TV..." Mara said sadly.

"Well, why don't you see if you can go with Patricia or Amber?" Jerome suggested.

"I guess I could do that... I feel a bit mean though, asking if I can come."

"Mara, trust me, Amber won't care, and Patricia's your best friend," Jerome reassured her. Mara smiled at him.

"That's true... Oh, I didn't get to thank you for telling us how to get out of the laundry room."

"Well, you're the only one who has thanked me..." Jerome said quietly.

"Well even though I actually crawled out, it was your idea. They should have thanked you too." Mara said putting a hand on his arm. Jerome smiled.

"Well, better go ask Patricia." Mara stood up slowly, using her crutch, and went over to the table where Patricia was.

"Aww sorry Mara! I would, you know I would, but this is my _only time_ I get to see my sister, and I'll probably be paying full attention to her, so I don't want you to be ignored..." Patricia said.

"It's fine, it's fine! I'll just... go see if Amber can let me go with her then." Mara tried not to sound too disappointed.

"Of course you can come to my dad's mansion with me!" Amber squealed with excitement.

"Really? Oh thank you Amber! Let me call my mum and tell her what's happening," Mara pulled her phone out of her bag on the couch. Before dialing she gave Jerome a thumbs up and a smile.

"Mum, hi!" Jerome could hear Mara's voice trail off as she left the room to go somewhere quiet.

Alfie walked back in to the living room and told Jerome that the trip to his brother's house was still on.

Jerome high-fived Alfie. However, something in the back of Jerome's mind nagged at him. He felt like there was something he needed to do before he left. He shrugged it off. He knew he had everything packed, so he figured it was nothing.

Alfie's phone started to ring and, confused, he checked who it was.

"It's my brother... Weird. I'll see what he wants." Alfie picked up. "Hey bro, something wrong?... what?... No!... You can't be serious!... That's not fair!... Are you _sure_?... Aw man! Okay, I'll call you back in a sec." Alfie hung up.

"What's wrong?" Jerome asked.

"My bro says his friend is inviting a few... extra people, and he said you can't come! He said he can barely fit _me_ in. I can't believe it!"

"What? Where am I supposed to go?" Jerome yelled and stood up from the couch.

And then it came. That feeling of abandonment. Jerome knew he'd have to stay at the house where he was unwanted by Victor and would be bored and lonely for almost two weeks.

Before Alfie could answer, again his cell phone rang.

"What _now_?" Alfie picked up and yelled.

As Jerome watched Alfie argue with his brother again, the nagging feeling came back again. _I have to talk to Mara before she leaves..._ he realized.

Alfie hung up and angrily sat on the couch.

"Now he said _I_ can't come! And I'm his _bro_! This is rubbish! Victor's gonna be so mad that we have to stay here!" Alfie yelled. Jerome ran his hands through his hair in frustration.

"What's wrong guys?" Amber said, walking over to them.

"We have nowhere to go for vacation," Alfie sighed.

"Oh... That's sad... I know! You guys can come to my dad's house too, if you like!" Amber said excitedly, feeling kind.

"Really? Thanks!" Alfie said excitedly and stood up to hug Amber.

"Stop!" Amber put her hands out to stop him.

"Wait, it's a mansion, right?" Jerome asked with a smirk.

"Yeah!"

"So does that mean you have giant flat-screen TVs and all you can eat gourmet food?"

"Duh! This is _my_ family we're talking about!" Amber smiled. Alfie and Jerome high-fived.

"This is gonna be _awesome_ dude!" Alfie fist-pumped the air and ran excitedly to get his bags.

"Mara guess what! Alfie and Jerome are coming with us too!" Amber said to Mara. Mara looked surprised.

"What happened to Alfie's brother?" she asked.

"I don't know, but they couldn't go for some reason, so I figured they could come with us so they don't have to be stuck here with Mr. Ten O'clock." Amber laughed. Mara smiled in Jerome's direction.

"That's so nice of you Amber!" Mara smiled.

"Yeah, I know," Amber beamed. Mara rolled her eyes at the self-loving blonde. Thinking of self-loving blondes, Mara looked over at Jerome.

_Maybe I should talk to him whilst we're away..._ she thought, but her thoughts were interrupted by Amber.

"Guys! The limo's here!" Amber squealed from the hallway.

"Limo?" Jerome bounced off the couch and speedily grabbed his bags. He struggled with one of the handles and couldn't pull it up.

"Jerome, calm down!" Mara said laughing. The two went into the hallway and saw Alfie and Amber ready to go.

"Amber! It's two weeks, not two years!" Mara said about Amber's - what looked like - twenty luggage bags.

"It'll take two weeks to get all that in the limo!" Jerome joked. Amber swatted near his arm, but didn't actually slap him... Yet.

"Looks like it's time to go," Alfie said to Mick, Nina, Fabian and Patricia as they came out to say good-bye.

Mick pulled Mara to the side at the same time that Fabian pulled Amber to the side.

"See ya later then..." Mick said.

"Yeah... this is weird, being just friends again," Mara said.

"A bit," Mick smiled, "But hey, good luck with Jerome, eh?" Mick winked and walked to the door before Mara could say anything.

"Amber, you can't be so obvious about the thing with Nina!" Fabian whisper scolded.

"What thing with Nina?" Amber said, a bit too loudly.

"SHH! You know, I asked you to see if she liked me?"

"OH right. Okay, less obvious, got it!" Amber said.

"Thanks." Fabian hugged Amber good-bye.

"Oh... uh I don't think I can get my luggage..." Mara said nervously. Without saying anything Alfie and Jerome took her luggage and Jerome held the door for her as she hobbled out.

"Have fun guys!" Nina waved as they went through the door, followed by two men that were helping Amber carry her luggage.

Nina turned to Fabian.

"So what's the plan? Are we getting picked up by a limo too?" she joked.

"Sorry, I could only get a cab right now," Fabian laughed, "Hey, guess what, my uncle Ade is coming to visit at the same time!"

"Cool! He's so nice. Does he still think you and I are dating though?" Nina asked.

"I don't know, but I have a feeling he always will, no matter how many times I tell him we aren't an item," Fabian laughed. A car honked outside and Mick looked out the door.

"That's my dad, see you guys in two weeks!" Mick man-hugged Fabian and took himself and his luggage out the door.

"So, Patricia, what's your sister like?" Nina asked. Before Patricia could answer, another car honk was heard.

Fabian and Patricia both looked out.

"It's for Patricia," Fabian said.

"Oh, sorry Nina, I'll tell you in two weeks," Patricia joked. Waving good-bye to Patricia, Nina sighed.

"And then there were two," she said, "Is our cab coming soon?"

"It should be, do you want me to ring them again?" Fabian asked.

"No, don't bother. You're probably right, they'll be here soon."

Almost as if he had just appeared there, Victor was suddenly at the top of the steps and glared at Nina and Fabian.

"Why aren't you gone yet?"

"We're waiting for our cab..." Fabian said.

"Well call them, and tell them to hurry!" Victor snapped and went back upstairs.

"How about we just wait outside? It's probably a great day," Nina suggested. Fabian nodded.

"You want some help?" he asked as Nina pulled her luggage through the door.

"But, you already have yours, I couldn't make you do that," Nina said.

"It's fine, really," Fabian smiled and took Nina's and his luggage out the door.

"Oh wow, it is way colder than I thought it would be," Nina shivered, "Oh man! I forgot to get a coat! And my other one is packed in my bag."

"Here, let me go get it for you!" Fabian set the luggage up against the wall outside and sprinted inside.

Nina laughed. What was he up to?

Sprinting back outside with Nina's coat, Fabian breathlessly held it out to her with a smile.

"Wow, thanks!" Nina smiled.

For what seemed like ages to Nina and Fabian, they just smiled at each other shyly. Finally the cab came and stopped the slightly awkward smiling.

"Mr... Rutter?" the cab driver call out the window.

"Yeah!" Fabian said, bringing the luggage to the back of the cab.

Fabian saw Nina go towards the car door and quickly closed the trunk and ran over to open the door for her.

"Oh! Why thank you!" Nina laughed again. Nodding his head, Fabian ran around the cab and got in on the other side.

"I can't wait to meet your family Fabian! This is so exciting," Nina said as the cab driver turned the cab back on.

"I can't wait for them to meet you," Fabian said shyly. Nina blushed and looked away.

"Fabian?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for inviting me. I wouldn't rather go anywhere else, except my Gran's of course," Fabian smiled.

"You're welcome Nina."

...

_A/N Okay, so that's the final chapter of Locked In! BUT there will be a little epilogue about their vacations coming up! So stay tuned ;D Thank you all SO MUCH for reading this, and thank you for reviewing ;D I want to give a HUGELY SPECIAL THANKS TO WATER WOLF 100! :D :) You've helped me with this so much Wolfie, thank you. (Psst, guys, if you haven't already, go read Wolfie's story House of Ellada, it's AMAZING! :D) Thanks again guys, I LOVE YOU ALL!_

_~Peace_


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